Apply for a Grant

Grants are awarded to interdenominational Christian places of worship (Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc.) in the historic county of Essex (including the unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock together with the five London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest)

Do we qualify?

Repair Grants are awarded for work that assists in the preservation, repair and maintenance of an historic building.

Improvement Grants are awarded to make a building more suitable for modern-day use. Examples include the provision of kitchen and toilet facilities, heating systems and disabled access.

Grants are not normally given for:

electrical work (unless there is a written report by a qualified electrician stating that electrical installations are a fire hazard);

general lighting;

redecoration (unless needed as part of a scheme of eligible repairs);

reseating;

liturgical reordering; and

the introduction of other furnishings and fittings

Grants are not given for routine maintenance, although the Trust does make grants to parishes as part of the Gutter Clearance Scheme.

Grants will not normally be made if work has already started.

Please contact the Secretary of the Grants Committee at grantssecretary@foect.org.uk if you are unsure whether the work proposed will qualify for a grant.

Procedure

Applications are considered by the Grant Committee which meets quarterly.

The form should be downloaded, completed, scanned and submited together with any relevant documents to the Secretary of the Grants Committee at grantssecretary@foect.org.uk.

An officer of the church should submit applications; otherwise a letter of support from the incumbent must accompany them. Upon receipt of the application, a member of the Grants Committee will arrange a site visit to discuss the proposed work and its funding.

Requirements

No grant will be considered without the following:

a copy of the specification and quotations (where an architect’s estimate only is available, a grant may be offered in principle, subject to an acceptable quotation being provided at a later date);

photographs: typically, an exterior view of the church,

and others showing areas where the proposed work is to be undertaken;

a copy of the most recently approved church accounts; and

confirmation of necessary approvals, including faculty or other permission

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